In just over a couple of hours, a big game will be played in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers look to close out the Maple Leafs in the second round of the postseason. After falling behind two games to none, they’ve won three in a row to put the Leafs on the brink of elimination.

When the puck is dropped later tonight, the Leafs’ legacy will be on the line. After blowing a 2-0 series lead, they look to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive in Game 6 of the Atlantic Division Final. The biggest question is how they will respond to the 6-1 humiliation that prompted a couple of disgusted Leafs fans to throw jerseys on the ice at Scotiabank Arena the other night.

The pivotal Game 5 was so uncompetitive that little used veteran Matt Murray replaced Joseph Woll following a goal from A.J. Greer that made it 5-0 with over 13 minutes left in the third period. The Leafs were so bad that the Panthers got contributions from other unlikely sources. Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist, and Niko Mikkola all scored during a lopsided second period that led to the Leafs being booed off the ice.

It got even worse when Greer was allowed to put in a rebound as the Leafs just watched. Sam Bennett added further insult to injury by scoring a power-play goal to make it 6-0. Bennett has been public enemy number one after getting away with an elbow on starting goalie Anthony Stolarz back in the first period of Game 1. Stolarz has been out since with a suspected concussion. He also took a hard shot off the mask earlier in the game. Whether or not that caused the injury isn’t fully known. Bennett’s undetected elbow didn’t help matters. Even if he claimed wasn’t deliberate with Stolarz being a former teammate.

After he took over in net, Woll’s been good enough for the Leafs to win the hard-fought series. In the 2-0 loss in Game 4, he was superb making 35 saves on 37 shots to give his team a chance. The issue was the lack of offense, with both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner being blanketed by a stingy Panthers defense that’s led by the trio of Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, and Seth Jones.

Matthews and Marner Must Deliver

It’s no secret that neither Matthews nor Marner have played well enough for the Leafs against the Panthers. If they’re to go into Florida and save their season, that must change starting tonight. Both Matthews and Marner must deliver in a pressure packed spot for the Leafs.

For whatever reason, Matthews has never scored a goal in the second round during his career. It’s just the second time that this Leafs core has advanced past the first round. The 27-year-old Leafs captain has struggled to produce in the series. Matthews enters Game 6 with only three assists in the second round. Despite leading them in shots (20), he hasn’t been able to finish. Even if something’s hindering him, he must have an impact on the biggest game for the franchise in quite some time.

Marner must rebound from an atrocious Game 5. With his team already trailing 2-0, he didn’t absorb a check and threw away a lazy backhanded pass into the neutral zone that led directly to Reinhart feeding a cutting Boqvist, who easily beat Marner to the net to make it 3-0. Normally a responsible two-way forward, Marner made two critical mistakes on the play, which drew the ire of Leafs Nation.

After starting well enough with all four of his points in the first three games, Marner has been held scoreless with only one shot over the last two. So much of what the big line does is due to his skating and creativity. When he’s engaged, the 28-year-old right wing is one of the game’s most dynamic players. His 75 assists and 102 points paced the team during the regular season. They need the best version of Marner to be successful.

Nylander and Rielly Leading the Way

Unlike Matthews and Marner, both William Nylander and Morgan Rielly have led the way for the Leafs. Their leading goal scorer during the season, Nylander has continued to produce with his three goals and three assists for six points pacing the Leafs in the second round. If there’s a big play to be made in tonight’s game, expect Nylander to be heard from.

Rielly has been right behind him. A good postseason performer, the offensive defenseman has posted two goals and two assists from the back end. He frequently jumps up on the rush and gets involved. While he hasn’t had the best defensive series, Rielly remains a good bet to score for the Leafs to send the series back to Toronto on Sunday.

Pacioretty’s Experience A Factor

When they signed him out of training camp, the Leafs were hoping that Max Pacioretty could supply some offensive support. The 36-year-old veteran has done better than expected. His goal and four assists give him five points in the series, which trails only Nylander.

Pacioretty has mostly played with Nylander and John Tavares on the second line. A hardnosed player who gets the jersey dirty, his experience has been a factor. With it being one of the final shots for him to be on a winner, Pacioretty will leave it all out on the ice tonight.

Tavares Needs to be Better

When he gave up the captaincy for Matthews, it was an unselfish move from Tavares. He’s been a good Leaf since signing with them seven years ago. A star player who flies under the radar due to all the attention Matthews and Marner receive, this could be his final game as a Maple Leaf.

So far in the second round, Tavares has a pair of goals which he got in a tough 5-4 overtime loss in Game 3. He hasn’t done anything else. When he decided to leave the Islanders for Toronto, it was with the hopes of leading his childhood team to its first Stanley Cup since 1967. A future Hall of Famer, here’s a chance for Tavares to show why he returned home. He’s never played in a bigger game.

Leafs Must Solve Bobrovsky Puzzle

If they’re to win tonight and force a deciding seventh game, the Leafs must solve Sergei Bobrovsky. Following a tough start to the series, in which he allowed 13 goals on 81 shots, he’s returned to form by only giving up one goal on 55 shots over the last two games. In fact, it took until there was 1:06 left for Nick Robertson to beat him to end his bid for a second consecutive shutout.

The Leafs didn’t start well in Game 5. Instead, they allowed the more confident Panthers to carry the play. Bobrovsky only faced six shots in the first period on May 14. Florida outshot Toronto 13-6, with Ekblad scoring the only goal to put the Leafs behind. Similar to Game 4, they chased the game, which played right into the Panthers’ hands.

A better start is required for the Leafs to have success on the road. If they can get to Bobrovsky early enough, then their fans who made the trip should be heard from throughout the game.

Leafs Flashback

It’s been 23 years since the Maple Leafs made a trip to the Conference Finals. Ironically, they came back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Senators in the second round the last time it happened. That team went into Ottawa and came back to defeat the Senators 4-3 to win Game 6 on May 12, 2002. Led by a pair of goals from Game 6 hero Alexander Mogilny, the Leafs shut out the Senators 3-0 on May 14, 2002.

In another irony, the Hurricanes are waiting in the Eastern Conference Finals. When the Leafs last went that far, they were eliminated by the Hurricanes in six games that year. If they were somehow able to come back and beat the defending champion Panthers, it would set up a rematch 23 years later.